Mindful Monday: A Fork in a Bowl of Soup

Do you ever feel like you're doing it all wrong? Maybe feel like you are ill-equipped for the job? 

Both the best thing and worst part of teaching is that every day is a new day. I love the fresh start that each day brings. But with that comes many daunting challenges. What worked yesterday, won't necessarily work today, and a lesson from last year may no longer be applicable this year. 

Here's the deal...it's NOT you! It is the nature of this business. Some days teaching is soup, and we're simply a fork. It's an ever evolving target, and the best thing you can do is to give yourself grace.

Teaching requires a lot of tweaking and adjusting. And so if something doesn't work today, it doesn't mean that it doesn't work at all. 

As we navigate through these choppy waters this year, give yourself grace. Give yourself second chances. Give yourself the time and space to try new things. 

Is teaching hard? No doubt! Is this year challenging in ways we've never seen? Absolutely! Are there days that we feel like we're doing it all wrong? Of course! 

But despite being a fork in a bowl full of soup, we push on and try again. Why? Because it's worth it! 

Mindful Monday: Share Your Light

Now more than ever, our students and teammates alike, need our help changing their batteries. 

It's easy to judge others, to blame, or find fault. Too often, we are quick to criticize and presume we know. It's our assumptions that usually get us in trouble and sell others short. 

We wouldn't throw out a flashlight in need of new batteries. So why are we quick to label, cast aside, or even sometimes give up on another person, whether it be a student or teammate, needing "new batteries"?  

We could all stand to show more intentional acts of kindness, more understanding and second chances. It absolutely takes more time, more patience, and more of an effort. Being intentional is not easy. But when was the last time anything worthwhile was deemed easy?

The purpose of a flashlight is to illuminate and wash away the darkness. Be a flashlight; share your light! 

We could all use a little more Attention, Acceptance, Affection, Compassion and even a little Direction. Afterall, batteries aren't made to last forever, not even the rechargeable ones. They all need to be replaced every now and then. 

I challenge you this week to find a way to help someone else change their batteries. Be intentional with your kindness. And at the very least, support one another, and share your light!

Mindful Monday: This Isn't Forever

Autumn is a season full of change. And boy, we've had our share of changes this year. 

With autumn comes falling leaves, the cooling of weather (or at least so I hear), and shorter days. 

And while change can often be uncomfortable, it is necessary, inevitable and at the end of the day, simply unavoidable. 

It's during autumn that leaves begin to drop, and it can appear as though the nature around us is dying. However, we know that it's quite the opposite. Nature is in fact beginning it's hibernation process in order to make it through winter only to come back better in the spring. 

It is only because we know this that we can appreciate color changes in the leaves. It's only because we know that this change isn't permanent that we can appreciate the shorter days huddled around a campfire. It is only because we know that the warmth of the sun will return that we can appreciate the cold and sometimes dreary days ahead. 

Fortunately, this season of change is coupled with a sense of gratitude. It is only when we can appreciate what was and what will be that we can learn to appreciate what currently is. 

So I come to you this week asking you to reflect on all that you have to be grateful for during this season of change. Be thankful for what was and what is yet to come, and know as uncomfortable as our current season of change is, know that there is hope, that there is a season of growth in the horizon. 

This isn't forever. 

Mindful Monday: Stresslaxing

What does it say about us when we feel guilty for taking a break? What does it mean when the act of relaxing is stressful?

It's a vicious cycle. We can't work all the time. Yet when we're not working, often all we can think about are all the things still left to do and our never ending list that still needs our attention. 

Here's the deal. "Work-Life Balance" is a myth! The fact is, we work 5 out of the 7 days a week. We work 10 out of the 12 months of the year. Our work life and our personal life will never be a 50-50 split. 

However, that doesn't mean that we can't strive to implement a few more boundaries, or we can't work toward putting ourselves and our families first a little more often. 

I leave you with a challenge this week. When you are at school, give it your all. Do your best and know that your best is enough. On the flipside, when you leave for the day, leave knowing that you need the time away to rejuvenate and focus on other things like your family, hobbies, and yourself. Leave your worries and your to-do list at school; it will be there tomorrow. 

For my fellow educators out there who fully and totally identify with "stresslaxing", I beg you to start forcing yourself to step away, to take more breaks and to put yourself first more often. As uncomfortable and awkward as it might feel at first, I promise you that your mental health, your family, and your physical wellbeing will thank you! 

My final thought is to reframe how you look at taking a break. Too often we feel guilty for "doing nothing." Instead of thinking of it as nothing, think of it as investment in yourself.